we've got a campaign, which is tied with an incumbent president of the united states. >> reporter: tied in national polls but not leading in any states that may decide the race. and after the release of a secretly taped video of romney saying 47% of americans are victims who want government handouts, the head of the republican party was asked about the apparent disconnect over changing strategy. >> but is he in denial? >> no, i don't think so, george. i think that we had a good week last week. we were able to frame up the debate. >> reporter: while romney says he doesn't need a turnaround, his campaign is kicking off a new strategy. advisers promise an intense battleground schedule in colorado, then ohio, and virginia. it's still not enough to quiet even republican critics. >> their core problem was carefulness, inability to focus on their own essential meaning. >> i think he's a nonideological person running an extremely ideological age, and he's faking it. >> reporter: comments like those prompted this from ann romney just a few days ago. >> stop it. this is hard. you want to try it?